129.1 General Policy

To qualify for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families ( TANF ), a child must:

Meet age requirements

Live with a specified relative

Be deprived of the support, physical care, or guidance of one or both parents

55 Pa. Code § 153.43

Deprived means that there is a lack of, or interruption in, the maintenance, physical care, or parental guidance a child ordinarily receives from one or both parents.

55 Pa. Code § 153.42

Parent refers to either the biological or adoptive parent of the child. For an adopted child, deprivation is based on the lack of support, care, or guidance of the adoptive parent, not the absence or circumstances of the child’s biological parent.

The CAO must determine whether a dependent child who lives with a specified relative is deprived. A child is considered deprived only for the following reasons:

55 Pa. Code § 153.43(a)

Continued absence of one or both parents.

55 Pa. Code § 153.43(b)

Incapacity or impairment of one or both parent s .

55 Pa. Code § 153.43(c)

Unemployment.

55 Pa. Code § 153.43(d)

Members with an ES eligibility status code will have a deprivation code assigned in these three situations:

When a n individual is pregnant and eligibility for the unborn must be determined and there are no other TANF children. Use code 12 or 13.

When a child is receiving Supplemental Security Income ( SSI ) benefits in a J budget and there are no other eligible children (EC) in the TANF budget, the specified relative is eligible for TANF. Use code 01.

When a TANF budget group has multiple grant groups due to program status codes and the budget that has the specified relative without the EC is also eligible for TANF. Use code 01.

Updated September 27, 2024, replacing September 21, 2012